There were so many shoppers for the opening, Goodwill partnered with a local church to handle overflow parking and provide a shuttle service.

The 27,000-square-foot building, 6161 W. Bell Road, formerly housed Metro Motorsports. The site includes two other businesses, Big O Tires and Jiffy Lube.

The Glendale location is strictly retail and does not include a job training center. The non-profit group funnels its retail revenues into helping people find jobs.

The Glendale store currently employs about 30 workers, according to Jackie Halleen, vice president of retail operations at Goodwill of Central Arizona.

The store will operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The Glendale store is the 50th Goodwill location to open in Arizona and the fifth store to open so far this year, said Halleen. She said the non-profit organization plans to open at least four more retail locations in 2012.

In March, Goodwill opened a Peoria location near Lake Pleasant and 83rd Avenue.